AN: I've gotta say, Endeavor is one of my favorite characters to use in fanfiction because there's a lot you can do with him. So many ways he can be shown or grown (or sometimes you just want him to be a great big flaming bastich incapable of growing or changing). This is a new take I don't think I've seen but I thought would be interesting.
The Four Sons
Chapter 6
-Fuyumi-
It took all her willpower to not quake in front of her father, she knew how much he seemed to hate All Might and was wary of bringing up that topic. But she needed to know.
"…What?" to her surprise, and relief, her father seemed more surprised than angry. That surprise quickly became a contemplative frown, "He hates one of your classmates? From the General Studies course?"
"He's…actually he's a friend from the Hero track." Fuyumi blushed as she thought about Izuku, and the conversation they'd had after he got back from speaking to Principal Nezu. She wasn't sure what it was about, but she could infer a few things given the glare she saw All Might levy at her friend when she met back up with him as the large blond man passed by. While exploring the rest of the school Izuku and the others had gotten to talking about quirks and the small flinch Izuku had before talking about his own only implied more.
"This…this is out of character for him." Endeavor's voice was deep, rumbling as he steepled his fingers, "All Might is a false hero, but openly showing disdain to a student wouldn't be something his handlers would allow."
"Handlers?" Fuyumi asked, utterly confused as her father's eyes widened, having apparently forgotten her presence as he thought aloud.
"…Fuyumi, this pertains to one of your friends and you're old enough now to make a choice for yourself. I will tell you more, but you have to swear to never tell another soul." The burning intensity in her father's eyes worried her.
"I…I promise I won't tell anyone without your permission." Fuyumi gulped, wondering just what she was signing up for.
Leaning back in his chair, her father ran a tired hand down his face, "Fuyumi…do you know why I despise All Might?"
"I…no." Fuyumi admitted, "Most people say you're jealous that you aren't the number one. But…you called All Might a 'false hero'?" that kind of talk was growing more and more popular over the years for various heroes, even as more people online fought against the descriptor.
"Yes, because he isn't one who deserves to be a Hero." Endeavor scowled, "He goes around laughing like an imbecile with that ridiculous smile on his face. In his debut people saw him laughing like a lunatic as he carried several unconscious people in his arms, prattling on about how there was no reason to be afraid just because he was there." Her father's beard flickered angrily as he spoke, "His arrogance galled me."
"So…you feel All Might doesn't take heroics seriously?" Fuyumi blinked, wondering if that was why her father was almost always stoic or scowling while working, why he refused to ever sign autographs.
"I know he doesn't." Endeavor corrected, "There is a time and a place for smiling and laughing. A smile can ease someone's mind in a stressful situation, a laugh in a peaceful interaction can break tension. But All Might does that no matter the situation. Burning building with children trapped inside? He laughs and poses. Villain rampaging? He monologues like a showman. In the middle of a patrol? He stops to sign autographs for every person that comes up to him."
"But…doesn't he have a perfect success rating?" Fuyumi blinked, wondering how that flawless record would be argued by her father.
"No…he doesn't." the expression in her father's eyes sent a chill down her spine, "I always thought it was suspicious, to literally have zero failed rescues. To always succeed. Perfection is an unattainable lie. Yet that was what has been reported for All Might. So, I did some digging. There have been casualties. There have been people he failed to save. Victims whose families were suspiciously quiet. Villains who weren't able to walk off being punched by someone who's fists have enough force to change the weather. So, I confronted the Hero Commission about it. And they made it clear that if I kept up that line of questioning, or dared to go public with it, then there would be consequences."
"They threatened to ruin your rating? Or take your license?" Fuyumi asked even though she was sure that those weren't the threats.
"Fuyumi…they threatened to have you and your brothers killed if I revealed the truth of their symbol of false peace." Endeavor's voice shook slightly, "It…it wasn't long since…I couldn't lose the three of you like I lost Toya." A pit fell in her stomach at the thought of the eldest Todoroki siblings, her memories of him fuzzy as he'd died when she was still young. Natsuo remembered him the most but didn't talk about Toya much. Fuyumi staggered back a step, feeling her face pale as she put a hand to her throat.
"They…they threatened to…?" she felt like she was going to be sick as her father nodded.
"It is part of why I double down on my stoic attitude when I work. The Path of the Mighty, to take one's efforts seriously, to give their all in training and hero work, and to have the determination to break through any limit set before one's self." Endeavor, for the first time ever, explained just what his 'Path of the Mighty' was.
"And All Might knows about what they threatened to do?" Fuyumi shuddered; not sure how safe she'd feel if she was in a room with that man as a teacher now.
"That I don't know." Her father admitted, "I'd say he had to know about their coverups as well but he's a moron so I wouldn't be surprised if the oaf just bought into his own hype."
"But he still hates Izuku." Fuyumi decided to distract herself by going back to the original topic.
"Yes, that would mean it's exceptionally personal." Her father frowned, "You said your friend is 'Izuku' yes? Tell me more about him. His family name, his quirk, anything at all that you might think is important."
"I…he did seem nervous when we were talking about quirks earlier." Fuyumi admitted, "And his other friends seemed surprised at that. He…well he has more than one."
"More than one?" Her father's eyes widened in what she assumed was disbelief.
"He said his first quirk was a class ten that gave him control over plants, water, and natural forms of earth." Fuyumi explained, wondering what such a power would look like. She knew even her father, as strong as he was, was only deemed a rank eight or nine, "His second quirk lets him take and give quirks, although he said he has a limit."
"That, I might know more of." Her father walked over to one of his locked filing cabinets as he rummaged around, "There's been a rumor, half erased, since I was a child of a man from the Dawn of Quirks who could take and give quirks. Something about the story never sat right with me so I saved anything I found over the years. Although most of the sources I used vanished about five years ago. All I got was more rumor, and a sketch from eighty years ago." He tossed it on the desk as she saw a man that could pass for an older Izuku. Shakily, she opened her phone and showed her father a picture of her with Izuku, Denki, and Ochaco.
"Those sources I found vanished five years ago. Right around the same time that All Might started doing less and less Hero work." Her father nodded in understanding once he saw the photo, "If I had to guess? He fought the quirk thief and got injured. The Commission and the power of propaganda keeping him secure in his position. Now your friend, he's the one who's parents used a sperm bank yes?" she nodded, somewhat surprised he remembered her mentioning that when she came back from that first party, talking with Natsuo about her new friends while her father was nearby "I would guess that your new friend is the son or grandson of that villain and All Might has decided to follow the adage 'sins of the father'."
"I…that's a lot to take in." Fuyumi was somewhat shaky as she put her phone back away.
"I know Fuyumi." Her father's voice was surprisingly gentle as he nodded to her, but then again, he'd always been less strict with her than with her brothers. Shoto was put through hellish training and Natsuo always started the arguments with their father. She just tried to keep her head down, "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
She was about to say no when she paused, remembering back to the conversation she'd had with Izuku and the others, talking about quirks. About Izuku's amazement at her power.
-Flashback-
"So yeah, those are my quirks." Denki grinned, a bit of electricity dancing across the blond's skin almost eagerly "Honestly, I think that second quirk has been a life saver. I used to have so many headaches from my brain always overloading but those stopped after Izuku hooked me up. Thinking's even been easier when I wasn't pumping volts into my brain too."
"And yet he's still a moron." Ochaco giggled as Denki pouted, "But what about you Fuyumi?"
"My quirk isn't anything special," Fuyumi shook her head bashfully, "it just lets me change temperatures."
"Wait…for your body or in general?" Izuku's eyes widened at her mentioned quirk.
"Well, either." She admitted "I mainly use it for cooking. It's nowhere near as impressive as my father's quirk or Shoto's."
"Bullshit." Izuku deadpanned as Fuyumi gaped at him, "Fuyumi, that quirk is amazing. Honestly it would make a great power for a Hero. With that and your personality I could easily see you becoming a top ten or even number one."
"Don't tease me." Fuyumi puffed out her cheeks, feeling flustered by the praise that had to be exaggerated.
"Controlling your own temperature means you can keep cool when doing physical actions, thus letting you keep going easier and for longer." Izuku started listing without missing a beat, "You can find someone suffering from hyperthermia or hypothermia and help correct their body temperature. You can keep yourself or others at a safe temperature to find people trapped in blizzards or even help dissipate dangerous snowstorms. You can lower temperatures to put out fires. Even create snow and fire using materials to have rapid temperature change. Or even something just as simple as rapidly lowering or raising the body temperature of a villain. Fuyumi, you could easily be a rescue or combat hero that could handle just about any type of villain and without the same risk of massive collateral damage a lot of the top heroes have." With every word he spoke, Fuyumi could feel Izuku's sincerity "But more than that I can tell how much you like making people feel safe and happy. Fuyumi, you'd make an amazing Hero even without your quirk."
-End Flashback-
"Why didn't you ever try to train me as a Hero like you did Shoto?" she asked softly as her father did look actually surprised this time.
"Because I thought you didn't want to be a Hero." Her father's answer was blunt, "T…Toya wanted to be a Hero and I trained him until your mother and I found out that his quirk would kill him if he continued." Her father's gaze became haunted for a moment as it always did when talking about Toya "Natsuo he didn't wish to do anything related to me. Shoto stated his desire to be a Hero and never stated he did not wish to be a Hero. You never made any comment about desiring it, so I didn't speak up, not wanting to force you."
Fuyumi's eyes widened at that, "And…about how hard you train Shoto?"
"Shoto needs to be strong. Stronger than me, and even stronger than All Might if he plans to be a Hero." Her father's expression became stony and serious, "All Might's time is dwindling, he's only out for a couple hours a day at most at this point. He only has so many years left before he can't continue anymore. I'm the only hero in the field actively trying to surpass him, one of the few who isn't just coasting on the premise of false security All Might provides. When All Might quits society will collapse without someone powerful enough to pick up the slack. Who can try to build a true peace rather than just the unsustainable quiet All Might created. But even still I've done my best not to push Shoto further than he can handle. My own training was even more brutal when I was his age." That last part answered some things she'd always wondered about her father and family, such as why she never met her grandparents, but raised several new concerns. All the while, neither of them noticed the two eavesdroppers who'd been there to hear every word.